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SA’s 3D printing industry gains traction

September 29, 2014

Tech Central | Sarah Wild:

The economic spinoffs of high-tech “additive manufacturing” are potentially huge.

It begins as a dusting of metal or plastic, melted together to form a single layer. Once the first layer has been melted, more granules are sprinkled on top and are welded to each other and the layer below.

Jessica Rosenkrantz founded nervous systems, a design, art and jewellery company, which made these delicate filligree lights using a 3D printer (image supplied)

These layers are incredibly thin and allow a degree of precision and detail impossible with previous technology. With each additional layer, an object begins to appear.

This is the allure of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing: any object, from a piece of jewellery to the fuselage of an aircraft, can be custom made without wasting any materials…